Collecting Patience
by Jade Bottle
Summary: She had been captured by the Collector... It was a shame she was nothing like the others or else he would have known better. She got bored easily and being bored was never good.
1. Chapter 1

(A/n) "Hi everyone, it's been awhile huh? I actually have a very good reason for not updating." She walks off stage and comes back with a baby boy in her arms. "It seems life imitates art. After writing _Coursing Through My Veins_ back in November of last year I found out I was pregnant. I have a happy baby boy who takes up much of my time. I am sorry for not writing for so long but having a baby is time consuming." She smiles at you and blushes slightly. "I have the next chapter in the works, slowly and surely, but for now I have these series of shorts based off of Guardians of the Galaxy: The Collector and a member of a race that my readers are familiar with. This is just to hold you over. It will be maybe a page or two at best for each chapter. It doesn't follow a particular storyline just a sort of filling and quirkiness." She cuddles her baby son and smiles at you again. "I hope you enjoy this series and the next chapter of _Coursing Through My Veins_ will be arriving soon. Thank you everyone for always reading, faving, alerting and of course leaving reviews!"

-o-

 **Collecting Patience**

 _Cause I  
Need time  
My heart is numb, has no feeling  
So while I'm still healing  
Just try and have a little patience…_

 _-Patience – **Take That**_

 _ **A** **ct 1**_

 _ **-o-**_

She couldn't remember when there had been a day when she didn't miss her home.

She missed everything about her home… Well, if you could call a space cruiser a home.

Still, it had been hers, and she used it to travel the galaxy to go where she pleased and do what she pleased. She had had a variety of occupations that varied from smuggler, space pirate, bounty hunter, to- when units were particularly tight- dancer.

Thankfully, her last occupation hadn't been on her resume anytime recently. Her string of luck had been consistent and she had been able to make bank on a simple bounties of lowlifes and scum running from the law of whatever local jurisdiction she happened to be in. She was a formidable opponent if she could say so herself.

Of course, it helped that she had this ability to turn into 9 foot demon that controlled explosive flames.

That was something that she normally kept under wraps unless she was facing a bounty that was particularly difficult. By the time she had subdued them, and brought them into the local authorities, the bounties were quite delirious with their ramblings of a crimson-skinned demon. She counted on the lack of belief of their claims to maintain her secret weapon.

She did not know why she could change into a fire-wielding 9 foot monster that could survive being shot at, being blown apart, dunked in lava, frozen, and any number of assaults. She had always had this other side to her and that was unknown by everyone. She used it to her advantage and used it well.

No one knew what she was and she did not know why she was the way she was.

She didn't care.

All that mattered was surviving and she knew how to do that.

It was a shame that the rumors of the fire monster lingered with her or else she would have never found herself in the predicament she was in now. She had brought an easy bounty to the one known as The Collector. It had been the last one she had cashed in on...

"So how is my Fire Flower today?"

She raised her eyes and locked gazes with the white haired man, who wore a strange mix of white fur with armor with his cape. He was one for dramatic flair, that much was obvious. Some might consider him attractive, some might consider him a mad man who was ageless… She considered him worth her vitriol.

"I would be better if you gave me a drink," she said, her eyes flashing with a burning yellow glow. "and maybe get this collar off of me? I would be _so_ much better..."

The white haired man let out a loose chuckle as he took a step closer to her. "And have you change? I think not. I finally have you in my collection… Giving you the ability to leave negates that current status quo."

She took in a breath, held it closely to maintain her sense of calm, and slowly let it loose. "How about that drink then?"

The white haired man smiled and gave a slight bow of his head, "I can arrange that for you..."

He turned with a dramatic sweep of his cape and walked off, disappearing around the corner of another exhibit of his collection. The exhibit was an anthropomorphic duck that was dressed in a suit and sucking on a cigar.

"At least he's willing to get you a drink," it said before pulling on the cigar and letting loose a stream of smoke. "I barely managed to get this cigar. I think its your skin tone. He has a thing for women with different colored skin."

She stared at the duck and let loose a huff of a laugh. "Lucky Ducky… that's me..."

The duck laughed in response and pulled on his cigar, breathing deeply, before pulling it out and waving it in her direction. "I'd say so… At least you're not in a glass container like the rest of us."

She opened her mouth to respond and paused, a thought hitting her. She wasn't, was she? Unlike his other collections, she was free to roam around to a certain extent. She allowed this to sink in and a soft smile touched her lips. She was collared and chained but not contained…

The Collector must have a weak spot for her, for some reason…

She looked at the duck and tossed her head back, tossing blonde curls away from her face. Her deep blue gaze was filled with amusement as she allowed herself to relax. "I'm Tanvi," she said to the duck.

The duck smiled and gave a wink. "Howard the Duck. Pleasure to meet you doll, despite the housing arrangements."

Tanvi only smiled and allowed her calm to maintain. She learned to be calm and patient long ago when she was an orphan. Her patience would reward her as it did so many times in the past. Her luck may have run out this time but she knew it would always turn.

Tanaleer Tivan was a male, a very smart and well-to-do male, but one nonetheless.

He would make a mistake at some point and when he did, she would take full advantage of it.

As she did now.

Not being in a glass container was a direct clue. He knew what she was, even if she did know herself, and he would not tell her of course.

She would need to use that to her advantage… and drive him crazy at the same time.

To be stuck here without at least driving her captor crazy would be boring.

She didn't do boring.

"Hey Howie, any good ideas to make this place more lively?"

The duck stared at her before the corners of his bill turned up, evident of a smile...


	2. Chapter 2

_My skin is kind of sort of brownish_

 _Pinkish yellowish white._

 _My eyes are greyish blueish green,_

 _But I am told they look orange in the night._

 _My hair is reddish blondish brown,_

 _But it's silver when it's wet._

 _And all of the colors I am inside_

 _Have not been invented yet._

 _~ **Colors –** Shel Silverstein_

 **Act 2**

She was bored.

She hated being bored.

Tanvi had managed to convince Howie to take a glance from his glass container and tell her what the back of her collar looked like.

It was as she feared. The whole thing was wired into the back of her neck, keeping an integral part of her nervous system in check. Namely, the red veins that were a prominent fixture against the sides of her neck. The duck had also explained that chain was actually an energy cable that was linked to mounting base some several feet behind her cot, which she could see for herself just by turning around.

Ok, so she had a limited amount of space to maneuver and there wasn't much that she could do in the open aired cell that Tivan had assigned her to. It was across from Howie's glass container and on an upper level that was dangerously high from the main floor. The only way anyone had access to her area was a floating platform that connected with others around the giant facility. Across the way, and surrounding her on all sides, were other glass containers filled with other various alien flora and fauna.

All the sentient beings within these containers looked as excited as she felt. Only difference was that she was not in a glass cage. She had wondered how she could use to that advantage; she had even hoped the anthropomorphic duck would have had a few ideas but sadly his ideas stemmed on the hope that she could find a way to break free. Soon the boredom had set in and she was in her current situation- trying to figure out a way to remove the link between the mount on the wall and her collar so she could put some of Howie's ideas to work.

She was currently working away at an apparent seam in the wall behind her cot that had potential. She was digging her stubby, bitten fingernails against the seam and, though she did not have access to her full strength thanks to the collar, she was still strong for a female of… whatever species she was. It had taken close to an hour- since the Collector arrived with her requested drink- and she had to stop. Her acute hearing had picked up the sound of the hovering platform making its way to her little corner of this hell and she was quick to get back to the nonchalant pose he had left her in.

"My dear, I have brought you a glass of the finest Asgardian wine," said Tivan, the platform coming to a stop as it locked into place between her area and Howie's glass container. He held up a large round glass that was half way filled with deep crimson wine. He had moved forward and held out the glass to her, his smile inviting and charming and all at once false.

"You're going to spoil me," she said in turn as she got up from her cot and walked over to gracefully take the glass of wine from him. He smiled even more at this and gave a bow.

"I thank you my beautiful Fire Flower. I hope your current accommodations are not too disappointing. I know there is not much room to move around but… at least you are not in a cage."

"No worries Tivan, I appreciate that fact. Though I am confused as to why you decided to keep me free of the glass."

His gaze studied her for a moment before he rose from his bow and carefully ran a gloved hand over his swept back white hair. "I have my reasons. I will say that my research has shown that a container for you would not have been the best suit if I were to have you in my collection… Your temperament would not have been as it is now."

"My temperament is not the best as it is," she said in response.

"Which is why that lovely collar around your neck helps to safe guard me from any potential… mishaps."

She frowned at that as he turned away from her without another word, his platform disengaged as he walked around Howie's container. He disappeared around the corner, going on to inspect his other collected items.

The moment he was gone, she quickly set the wine aside to drink later and hurried back to her cot to continue her work. A half an hour later, the sound of metal giving way proved her success. She stared into the panel that consisted of blinking lights and twisting, multicolored wires. She pursed her lips, thinking, before her eyes lit up with recognition. She reached out and pulled on one of several yellow wires. Ripping out the offending wire, her smile appeared as the energy cable between her collar and the mount on the wall fizzled out.

When the power to the collar didn't go out, her smile faded a little. It seemed the collar had its own power source. Oh well, no matter at least she wasn't tethered any longer. She made sure the panel was hidden from view before she turned and caught Howie watching her.

She smiled at the duck, who laughed in response, and she moved over to grab her glass of wine. She cast her gaze about the glass containers near her before her eyes settled on one down far below. She pursed her lips as she watched a purple-skinned Krylorian, a servant of Tivan it seemed, polishing the glass on a case belonging to a giant, blue-winged butterfly. She looked up at Howie, before looking back down at the female.

Well, she was bored…

Turning away from the edge, she went back to the panel behind her cot, she studied the wires before she found one that had potential.

Pulling the red wire free from its brethen, the sound of an alarm rose up from below followed by a scream. Moving quickly to the edge, she caught sight of the giant butterfly trying to flap its way free from its container, with the glass now suspiciously absent. With every flap, it bonked the Krylorian on the head as she tried to get it back into its display. The sounds of the other occupants surrounding the butterfly's rose up as they started either laughing, howling or a mix of both depending on that they were.

"Carina," the Collector's cool voice rose from somewhere further down and out of sight from Tanvi's area. "What have I told you about accidentally opening the displays?"

"I-I'm s-sorry Master!" Carina tried to speak around the flapping wings that continued to beat at her. "I-I don't know how I-"

"Fix it," was all the man said and Tanvi supposed he must have walked off somewhere amidst his collection. The Krylorian continued trying to get the giant butterfly back into the cage and pressing on a series of buttons with earnest, trying to close the container. Howie was laughing his feathers off and Tanvi was trying her best not to be obvious with her laughter. Finally, after ten minutes of watching poor girl fighting with the insect, she went back to the panel and put the wire back into place.

The alarm that had been sounding incessantly finally shut off and when she had went back to the edge of her holding area, the poor girl was taking in deep breaths as the butterfly was now beating its wings against glass.

Her smile was a bright one as she raised her gaze to look at Howie. "How was that?"

"Oh doll," said the duck, wiping the tears from his eyes. "That was brilliant."

"Good, I'm just getting started."


End file.
